


Stuck in a Snowstorm

by Impala_Cherry_Trickster



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Bandits & Outlaws, Blizzards & Snowstorms, Canon Era, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Female Merlin (Merlin), First Time, Gwaine Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Hurt Merlin (Merlin), Merlin is a Little Shit, Protective Gwaine (Merlin), Sharing Body Heat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:48:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25144198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impala_Cherry_Trickster/pseuds/Impala_Cherry_Trickster
Summary: Merlin genuinely didn't intend to fall into the freezing lake, she was more focused on the bandits trying to kill her friends.
Relationships: Gwaine/Lancelot/Merlin (Merlin)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 299





	Stuck in a Snowstorm

**Author's Note:**

> Merwaine with the added bonus of Lancelot

Arthur was going to kill them. Both of them, if they didn’t get Merlin far away from the icy water that she’d fallen into. Gwaine looked to Lancelot, then back to the bandits that had ambushed them. He didn’t need to question whether or not they were dead, he’d heard the crunch that came when Merlin expended the last of her Magic.

It was supposed to be a diplomatic mission. Arthur had wanted Lancelot to go, considering he was the most noble of all of them, Leon aside. Gwaine had then offered to partner up with him, figuring some time out of Camelot wouldn’t be a bad thing. Plus, he’d been winding up Arthur for days before the mission arose, and the Princess was more than happy for him to leave.

Merlin had then offered, which Arthur had been less keen on authorising. His maid-servant was always stubborn, refused to let Gwaine and Lancelot go into unchartered territory without her by their side. Arthur pointed out she couldn’t do much if someone did intend to harm them, to which Lancelot and Gwaine had both dutifully pretended not to know that she had Magic. Well, Gwaine wasn’t supposed to know, but he had a habit of paying attention to the youngest in their group.

Eventually, the King had permitted her absence. After all, Merlin was a lucky charm that never quite got in harms way, at least that was Arthur’s view. Morgana helped convince him to let her go, probably because the King’s sister knew about Merlin’s Magic as well. The gang was growing, and Gwaine was happy to be a part of it, keeping an eye on the young Sorceress as she tried to protect Arthur.

Then came the riding, with Merlin opting for her usual attire of trousers and a tunic, hair tucked so tightly behind her head that it was a miracle that she didn’t suffer from headaches. Added to the usual look was a cape, hat and gloves, considering the snow that was littering the ground. The trip was northwards, where the blanket of white began to increase, and Merlin’s mood had begun to dwindle. Gwaine had been providing stories for their journey (mostly to see Merlin laugh) when they were ambushed, the bandits appearing out of nowhere.

Merlin’s horse had bolted, the servant flying off and in the direction of the frozen lake they were skirting around the edge of. She had hit the ice pretty hard, but it held her weight enough for her to raise her head to where Gwaine and Lancelot had both dismounted to fight. The horses had raced away, disappearing in the snow that was beginning to fall.

Gwaine had genuinely thought they weren’t going to make it, until Merlin’s hand stretched out and her eyes flashed golden. They were thrown back, all apart from Gwaine and Lancelot, hitting the trees and scattering. Then the ice had cracked, and Merlin had gone under.

It brought them to the current, where a blizzard was wrapping around the three of them. Lancelot pushed harder, the snow almost to his knees by this point, guiding them in the direction of the rocks that loomed in front. Gwaine had Merlin in his arms, the girl unconscious yet still shivering, proof that they really needed to get her out of the cold.

‘Wait here.’ The Knight vanished, Gwaine cursing the weather and trying to stare through the flurry in front.

‘Hold on Merls, we’ll get you out of here in a moment.’ The wait stretched on, until Lancelot finally appeared. He had snow covering his armour and clinging to his face, eyelashes heavy with it, and Gwaine would have laughed had he not realised how serious the situation was.

‘I’ve found a cave.’

The cave in question proved to be slightly higher off the ground than he expected, and Gwaine hooked Merlin over his shoulder so his fingers could hold their weight. Once inside, he was pleased to note that it looked relatively dry, moving further away from the entrance and placing Merlin down gently.

‘We need a fire.’ He stated, Lancelot saying he would search for wood. Neither wanted to point out that without Merlin, lighting the fire would be near-impossible. The girl’s eyes flicked open, enough that Gwaine could see just how far gone she was.

‘Merl, we need you to light a fire, alright? Just a spark, then we can get to warming you up.’ Lancelot was back, shaking right down to his boots as he dumped an armful of wood on the floor. Merlin made a sound of protest, tried to move, before falling still once more.

‘C’mon, you can do it.’ Gwaine prompted, watched as she sluggishly focused on the fire, and her eyes were once more filled with sunlight.

Then came the job of getting the fire roaring. Gwaine abandoned his cloak, stripped off the armour and boots and placed them as close as he dared to the flames, helping Lancelot do the same. Then, they both slowly turned to look at Merlin, halting when they realised they needed to do the same to her.

‘We can’t…’ Lancelot whispered, looking horrified.

‘If we don’t, she’ll freeze to death.’ Gwaine snapped, moving across to Merlin’s side in a hurry. She could hate him once this was done, once they were back in Camelot and Merlin still had all her fingers and toes. Already, her lips had gone blue, eyes back to being shut as she slipped between consciousness.

The cape came off first, then he reached for the shirt and hauled it off her skin. He chucked it to Lancelot, who placed it on a rock next to the fire, while Gwaine eyed up the binder she was wearing. Tighter than a corset, designed entirely because of the fact she was performing a job that required her to be a man, rather than a lady. He left the fabric, moved to undoing the laces on her breeches and shoving them down, taking her boots with them.

‘She’s blue.’ Lancelot moved closer, already in just his underclothes, scooping Merlin from Gwaine’s arms and seating her firmly onto his lap. The cloak was on the ground, the one that was mostly dry, and the Knight was lying himself down with Merlin pressed up to his side.

This situation happened with Knights all the time, they all knew how to react to the cold. But this was Merlin, which was why it was awkward. Which was why Gwaine hesitated before stripping down to the same level of clothing as Lance, moving closer to the duo.

It didn’t take long for them to figure out it wasn’t going to work. The icy water had soaked her through to the bone, Merlin’s binder soaking the both of them as they tried to keep her warm.

‘Hold her steady.’ Gwaine ordered, reaching for his cloak and being thankful for the fact that the fabric dried quickly. He moved it over her, reaching for his knife and sliding it under the fabric in the direction of the strings.

He cut them smoothly, peeled back the wet fabric and watched Lancelot shudder. It was abandoned over to the side, before Gwaine was back and rolling onto his side. Lancelot copied suit, let Merlin rest between them as they moved closer. A leg hooked around Gwaine’s, sealing them with Merlin between them and the blanket moved over their frames.

‘Can you reach…’ Gwaine started, Lancelot jerking his head. Gwaine felt a hand reach briefly under the covers, brushing his hip and snatching back sharply. A moment later, the cold air returned as Lancelot threw the last item of Merlin’s clothing away, before wrapping them back up.

The Knight wrapped an arm around Merlin’s wait, pressed up against her back and let his head fall to her shoulder, hoping the blizzard wouldn’t last for much longer.

**

Merlin woke with very little recollection of what had happened before. Slowly, as her muscles complained about the cold around them, she reminded herself of the mission they were on. Lancelot and Gwaine were travelling to one of the Northern Kingdoms to try and form an alliance with Camelot. She had accompanied them for fear one of them would end up in trouble, and she had been right. The bandits had sprung from the trees, giving her barely enough time to think before she hit the ground.

Her vision had blurred, the force knocking the wind from her lungs, but she didn’t need words to command her Magic to defend the Knights. She’d seen it work, flinched when it was slightly more powerful than expected. The cracking sound wasn’t just because of the men she’d killed, however. The ground under her wasn’t as solid as she first thought, it was the lake that had been frozen in the icy weather.

Then she remembered the sensation of pins pricking every inch of her skin, a stabbing as she gasped and tried to fight against the freezing waves that surrounded her. Someone had lifted her, people begging her to open her eyes, but she had struggled to remain awake. It had taken the last of her energy to light the fire, and that was it.

Now, her body told her she wasn’t in immediate danger, that, although she was cold, it wasn’t life-threatening. There was a body of heat pressed to her back, another against her front, and she was torn with what way to shuffle to greater the warmth in veins.

It took her far too long to realise that she was pressed between two sleeping Knights, and that the warmth came from their almost-naked bodies. Despite the cool temperature, she knew her cheeks burned red at the very thought, wondering if she could slip out from between them.

A leg brushed up against hers, while a hand tightened on her hip, and Merlin had to conclude that she was in a similar state of undress. In fact, less than what they were wearing, if the smallclothes by the fire were any indication. A cloak was wrapped over them, probably to try and preserve her modesty rather than to provide warmth.

She wasn’t an idiot. She knew how good-looking the Knights of Camelot were. She’d ever allowed herself to watch them fight, occasionally letting her thoughts wander to slightly less-than-innocent thoughts. It would be a lie to say she’d never imagined being with Gwaine or Lancelot, the two that she trusted the most. Gwaine was the rebel, the one that she knew would leave Camelot if she requested it. The one that pretended like he hadn't seen her Magic, just because he was willing to wait for her explanation.

Lancelot may be loyal to Arthur, but he protected her more than she’d ever deserved. A true friend, never judging her for all that she had to do to remain at the King’s side. As she let her thoughts roam on how best to escape this awkward situation, another gust of wind from the entrance to the cave had her shivering.

Lancelot grumbled in his sleep, tugged Merlin closer to his chest and kicked a leg between hers. Goddess, she was more than aware of how this would look to anybody that witnessed it. Still, they had done this to keep her from dying from the cold, so the least she could do was conserve her body-heat. Reaching for the hand on her waist, the one that belonged to Gwaine, she tugged the Knight closer. He shuffled forwards in his sleep, pressing back up against her and snoring softly.

Her eyes travelled across to the binder that had been cut from her chest, staring at the torn laces. Nothing her Magic couldn’t repair, once she’d recovered from the near-death experience. The fire was dying down to embers, enough that Merlin tried to shuffle free of their grips to reach for one of the logs to throw on it.

‘Let me.’ Groggy with sleep, Lancelot uncurled from her front, Merlin squeaking and wrapping an arm around her chest as he half-turned to throw the log onto the fire. It was enough to wake Gwaine, the hand on her stomach flexing before withdrawing back to settle on her hip.

‘S’it still snowing?’ The Knight grumbled from behind her, leaving Merlin shuddering. It was the tone that she heard only occasionally, the one where he had drunk too much the night before. Unguarded, perfectly vulnerable and open to interrogation, and Merlin adored it. She was thankful Gwaine couldn’t see her, gripped at the edges of the cloak and dragged it closer to her form.

‘Least another foot outside.’ Lancelot confirmed, flopping back to the ground but keeping a distance between them now that Merlin was awake. She shuddered again, but this time from the cold, found Lancelot watching her.

‘Cold?’ She nodded, watched as he hesitantly moved back to her side. This time, Merlin wrapped an arm around him, careful to not press her chest against him. It had to be awkward enough for him, without making this situation worse.

‘Sorry for cutting your laces.’ Gwaine teased from behind her, and Merlin snorted.

‘Bet you say that to all the girls.’ It was strange, she never really acknowledged that she was a woman unless she had to. It came with the territory of being the maid-servant to the King, acting like a man to ensure she could stay by his side.

‘You’re not just a girl, Merls.’ Gwaine’s words had her blushing, even if he didn’t mean it like that. She ducked her head despite facing away from him, trying to ignore the fact that her stomach tightened. It was ridiculous, she was no fair maiden, she had seen more men naked than she cared to admit. Most of the Knights forgot that she was a girl, always acted like they would if she had been a boy. It was only the Knights of the Round Table that acted differently.

‘Bit of an idiot for falling into a lake, though.’ She provided, which earned a chuckle from Gwaine. Lancelot huffed a laugh, his arm wrapping around her shoulder and a hand moving to her hair.

‘It’s soaking.’ He pointed out, and Merlin realised she should probably undo it and hope it dried out naturally. She almost sat right up, before remembering her currently nude form, instead wiggled further under the cape and then reached for the many ties that kept it out of her eyes.

‘You look like a drowned rat.’ Gwaine grumbled as he spat out a lock of her hair, and Merlin lay down on her back and looked at him for the first time.

‘That’s the nicest compliment I’ve had in a while.’ She joked, saw something flash across his face that she couldn’t quite place. Lancelot had gone back to place another log on the fire, but she saw him wince at the cold that bit at his skin.

‘C’mere. You’re freezing.’ She guided him back to her side, knowing that the Knights did this all the time out on missions. It was a good way of keeping warm, so she didn’t think anything of it as she guided Lancelot to tuck his head under her neck, let him latch onto her side. Gwaine slowly crept forwards, moved a leg between hers and curled against her side, and they settled back down.

‘You look better than a drowned rat.’ He mumbled into her hair. Merlin startled, wondered if he was genuinely trying to compliment her. The arm around her waist tightened, another squeezing her hip gently.

‘You always have.’ Lancelot added, while Merlin tried to steady her heart. It was racing quite quickly, far too fast to be normal, and she knew they would be able to feel it. She made the mistake of trying to shift onto her side, turning into Gwaine’s front while letting Lancelot move behind her. Squashed between the two of them, in a hope they would stop complimenting her, but instead she was surrounded.

It was Gwaine’s cloak, the one on the ground. It smelt of pine trees and leather-polish, a mixture that was oddly intoxicating. Then there was Lancelot’s scent, the spices and sweet lavender that mixed together to make her head spin. Without even thinking, she tilted her head to Gwaine’s neck, then shuffled back to try and get more comfy.

‘Merlin.’ Gwaine grumbled, and she peeked up at him in confusion.

‘What? I’m trying to get comfy.’ It was honestly a weird situation, the stone floor under them wasn’t that nice, but the limbs surrounding her were. She moved again, felt Lancelot tense and wondered what in all of Albion was bothering them.

It didn’t take much effort to find out. She poked her head back up to look at Gwaine, inadvertently moving her thigh between his legs, halting when she felt a pressure against her skin. Then, in an attempt to move back and apologise, she promptly stuck her butt back against Lancelot, who swore under his breath.

Oh. Oh, now she was sure all the blood was at her cheeks. Gwaine was watching her with an amused smile, evidently finding her flustered attempts to apologise hilarious. Lancelot wasn’t much better, and then she tried to roll so she could apologise to his face, which just made the situation first.

‘Stay still!’ Lancelot muttered, and Gwaine snorted with laughter when Merlin just went boneless.

‘You’re like a worm.’ He commented.

‘I… sorry. I can move if…’

‘No!’ Lancelot’s turn to make a squeaky sound, whereas Gwaine seemed perfectly fine with the fact he was pressed against her thigh. In fact, he rolled his hips forwards leisurely, while Merlin tried to combat the heat in her stomach.

‘Gwaine…’ She whispered, quite unsure of what he was trying to achieve. The Knight raised an eyebrow at her, shot her the most devilish smirk she’d ever seen.

‘Oh Merls, you look so pretty when you get flustered.’ She went to protest, but then his hand was skirting down her side, and her breath hitched. Behind her, Lancelot had moved to better press against her, until she could feel the heat against the small of her back.

‘Tell us to stop.’ Gwaine murmured, studying her curiously. Merlin knew she wouldn’t, even before the question was asked. How long had she been pining over the two of them? The typical rebel, and the good one that always aimed to please?

‘You know I wouldn’t.’ She whispered, surprised at how emotional she sounded. Lancelot’s lips pressed to the nape of her neck, while Gwaine’s head ducked to kiss her nose.

‘Ours.’ She presumed this was just to pass the time, that Gwaine just wanted to reassure her that she didn’t need to feel bad for giving in. Honestly, even if she could never have this again, she’d still fall into this willingly. Rocking her hips back into Lancelot’s, tilting her head to demand a kiss from Gwaine, Merlin let go of the last niggling doubt that told her she shouldn’t be doing this.

Gwaine’s lips were against hers in a heartbeat, a soft pressure that was made better by the lips against her neck. A steady rocking had built between her and Lancelot, while Gwaine worked a thigh between her legs.

‘Rock against me, sweetheart.’ The nickname had her stomach flipping, Merlin hesitantly letting her thighs fall apart so Gwaine’s leg could press right against her. When she rolled her hips experimentally, she was shocked by how good the friction felt, whimpered when Lancelot’s thrust had her pressing harder against Gwaine.

‘That’s it.’ Lancelot coaxed, a hand creeping around to her stomach. Gwaine was back to kissing her, stealing away the tiny sounds she made as she rocked against his muscled thigh. Lancelot reached for her hair, fingers wrapping into the still-damp strands and tugging harshly, until her head tipped back and exposed her throat to the older Knight. He grinned, eyes dark and hungry, before his teeth were nipping at her skin and Merlin whined.

Involuntarily, her hips flexed up against Gwaine’s thigh, before Merlin decided she wanted more. She reached for Lancelot’s spare hand, guided it up from her stomach to the swell of her chest, groaned when his fingers squeezed.

‘Want to hear all those pretty sounds.’ Lancelot’s tone was sinful, as were the sounds that came from Gwaine as he arched back against her thigh. The Sorceress tipped her head back further, sucked in air as a thumb and forefinger pinched her breast, enough to have the pleasure edging with pain. Altogether too delicious, yet not enough, and she demanded more. One hand went to Gwaine’s hair, tugged at the strands until his lips moved on an exploratory mission to her chest, while the other hooked back around Lancelot’s neck and twisted her head to kiss him. It was sloppy, the angle not quite right, but it was perfect.

‘Lance, feel how wet our girl is.’ The words had her blushing, trying to hide her gaze from Lancelot, who gripped her chin so she stared up into the brilliant blue. His normally sky-blue eyes had turned to rings surrounding the dark, Merlin had never seen him so… gone. A hand moved to her stomach, tracing circles onto her stomach as it moved lower, all the while Merlin refusing to break the gaze with Lancelot.

It took an age before his fingers finally dipped to where she was rutting against Gwaine’s bare thigh, two digits brushing over her gently. Merlin shuddered, bit her lip as she tried to refrain from making a sound, but Lancelot’s lips were against hers, teeth nipping at her lip until she released it.

Gwaine’s lips finally sealed around her breast, tongue flicking with precision as Lancelot rubbed at the nub between her thighs, Merlin breathing out heavily and trying not to lose control over her Magic, which was quickly resurfacing as she was taken apart.

‘Think we can finish her like this?’ Lancelot questioned the older Knight, Gwaine’s eyes darting up from where they had been focused on her chest. His grin was close to feral, before his hand closed over the breast he wasn’t marking up, while Lancelot went back to rubbing the bundle of nerves between her thighs.

Merlin couldn’t help but move into it, gasped out one of their names as the pressure in her stomach built, as she tried to chase whatever feelings they were pulling from her body. Lips went to her shoulder, kissing and muttering filthy words that she had expected from Gwaine, but not from Lancelot. Then again, he was currently letting her use his fingers as pressure against all the most sensitive spots.

It felt good, too good, but not quite enough. She moved her hips hungrily, chasing after the feeling that she knew would crash over her, never quite getting enough to push over the edge.

Until teeth grazed at her already-swollen nipple, and the pain tipped her into her climax. Merlin sobbed out a cry, let her head fall back as heat flooded her belly, as Lancelot worked her through until his touch was too much.

‘There you go.’ Gwaine praised, coming up to kiss her cheeks.

‘Beautiful.’ Lancelot agreed, while Merlin slumped back onto the stone floor and watched as the two of them propped themselves on either side. She knew her eyes were golden, they were both staring at her with a sense of awe, and it didn’t take much convincing for her Magic to shed them of the rest of their clothing. Even with the cape covering their hips, she could still tell it had worked, watched Lancelot’s shock and Gwaine’s amused smile.

‘Round two?’ She quipped, uncaring of the fact that her chest was exposed to the both of them. From the way that Gwaine smiled, and Lancelot leant to kiss her, she figured that a snowstorm wasn’t the worse thing they’d ever faced.


End file.
